10 non-fiction books I recommend

Reading is a brilliant way to distract myself from my chronic pain. I only read non-fiction books, but the escapism of getting stuck in to a good book, can be an effective pain relief. Even if it doesn’t take the pain away completely, the fact that I am doing something I enjoy means I am not letting my pain win.

Catch up on my previous posts where I talk about the positive effects of reading and managing chronic pain:

If you want to learn more about chronic pain…

I’ve mentioned this book numerous times in my blog posts. When I realised my operation hadn’t been successful (see My chronic pain journey after surgery to learn more) I knew I had to do something to learn to cope better and change my mindset about my pain. This book was brilliant. It really taught me how to accept my pain, and to carry on doing the things I enjoy to live the life I want.

This book is?in my top 10 self-care books, and I will certainly be reading it again. I recommend everyone with chronic pain has this book on their shelf or in their Kindle reading list to refer back to and keep as a companion to help cope with their pain.

If you want a giggle…

When I was growing up I had 30 chickens. They all had names and were my pets. This book is hilarious, and anyone who knows what it’s like to keep chickens will relate to the tales and descriptions in this book.

This is the first is a series of four books about family life on a canal boat. I was literally laughing out loud reading every book, and couldn’t put them down. I recommended them to my Mum and she loved them too.

If you want to read about true life events…

I love reading true stories about dogs. I also love reading true stories about war and the military. This book is a combination of both. I was hooked from the first page. It was a very gripping read. And Treo truly is a hero dog.

I came across Henry when I was off sick and watching This Morning (ITV). His story is heartbreaking, incredible, and inspirational all at the same time. Everyone should read this book; it really helps you focus on what is important in life and learn to appreciate the little things. I often think of Henry when I’m writing my weekly gratitude posts.

If you want to read about self-development

I read this book a few years ago and absolutely loved it. I was grabbed by the front cover – I love stationery and post-its! This book made me think differently about wanting to try new things and take more control of others. I’m honoured to now have Shelley as one of my blogging friends – which was purely by chance – and I am still learning from her blog Motivate Me Now.

This is quite an intense read, but when recommending it to people, I always tell them to stick with it. It looks at how the mind works and how people differ, based on how much their Chimp takes over. A very interesting read that helped me understand more about how people are so different and why my emotions often take over.

If you want to learn something interesting…

I’ve always been fascinated by shipping containers. How they stay afloat with all that weight, and how they manage to load them so neatly in the first place. I decided to read this book after watching the film All is Lost starring Robert Redford – his sailboat collides with a shipping container at sea. This is a fascinating read about the shipping industry, and how many containers and the contents get lost at sea.

This book looks at how exercise can help make us happier and reduce depression, anxiety, and even pain. It mainly focuses on running and the affects this can have on the brain. But, any kind of exercise can have incredible affects. I encourage anyone with anxiety or stress to read this book – it really has helped me understand more about the important of exercise (no matter what exercise you do) and the positive changes it can make.

What non-fictions books do you recommend? If you have read any of the above or decide to read them, let me know what you think in the comments below.

Hello

I’m Alice, I’m here to help you cope with and understand chronic pain. I share my experiences, tips and advice to help you carry on doing the things you enjoy and teach your friends and family to understand more so they can support you.